A One-Man Mapquest

Maps are a calling for Dave Imus. Late last year, his teeny company -- Imus Geographic’s beat out National Geographic, and the US Census Bureau to win the annual “best of show” award from the Cartography and Geographic Information Society. It’s pretty much American mapmaking’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. We were intrigued by an article about Dave’s map of the United States in Slate Magazine. What is the role of modern cartography in an era of GPS on smartphones, and instant access to locations and directions? Just about anyone can stake a stab at a map, right?